Elevating bed makes for more spacious tiny house

Self-taught tiny house builder and woodworker Ana White puts some experienced firms to shame with the space-saving ideas in her Open Concept Rustic Modern Tiny House. Most notably, the recently-completed towable dwelling features an elevating bed that makes the interior seem more spacious than a standard loft bedroom would.

The Open Concept Rustic Modern Tiny House measures 24 x 8.5 ft (7.3 x 2.6 m) and is based on a double-axle trailer. It's clad in cedar and seam metal roof siding and features generous triple-glazed windows.

The impetus for the elevating bed derives from the client wanting as spacious an interior as possible. White designed and built the system herself by modifying off-the-shelf sliding door parts and a garage storage lift's electric pulley system.

The idea is, the bed is tucked away up close to the roof when not in use, but with a flick of the switch it descends (rather loudly) on four wall-mounted rails to just above the lounge area. It's supported in place with movable pegs and the coffee tables provide a step-up into bed.

The small lounge beneath the elevating bed includes a couch that turns into a guest bed and the TV placement is handy too, as its position means that it can be watched either if you're using the lounge or if you're in bed.

While the elevating bed is the big draw, the tiny house is also packed with interesting storage ideas. The large open area pictured above – which White estimates is around 100 sq ft (9.2 sq m) – features a long storage unit with sliding doors. These doors can be lifted upward to create two small desks, one large desk, or a dining table.

The kitchen includes a cabinet on casters which can be moved to reveal a space for a washer/dryer, while the small bathroom has a shower, composting toilet, and a sliding closet for hanging clothes (we're not sure how wise that last idea is due to dampness). In addition, the space beneath the raised kitchen has yet more storage space and there are other little nooks and clever storage throughout the home, too.

According to Treehugger, the Open Concept Rustic Modern Tiny House cost roughly $60,000. We've no word on whether it gets its power on or off-the-grid, but strongly suspect the former.

White provides very detailed information on the build process and plans on how to make the furniture on her website. You can also check out a video tour below.